Bluffton student denied bond

Bond was denied for 17-year-old Austen Almida who was taken into custody Wednesday after coming to Bluffton High School with weapons.

He was charged with bringing weapons to school and appeared before a judge Thursday who ordered him to undergo a mental evaluation.

Almida was charged as an adult with disturbing school, carrying weapons on school property, carrying a loaded gun on school property and bringing explosive devices on school property.

Solicitor Duffie Stone said the next step is for evidence to be gathered from Wednesday’s incident and that it then would go before the Beaufort County grand jury.

Almida is due back in court on June 28.

At about 8:45 a.m. Wednesday the Bluffton Police Department responded to Bluffton High for a possible threat. School personnel had isolated a student who was exhibiting strange behavior and was making concerning comments.

Almida, a senior, was taken into custody by police. At the time, he was carrying multiple knives with blades at least 2 inches long, a loaded Glock 22 handgun, gasoline, lighter fluid, and a lighter.

Law enforcement from the Bluffton Police Department, Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office, South Carolina Law Enforcement Division, as well as members of the Explosive Ordinance Disposal Unit from Marine Corp Air Station, Bluffton Township Fire Department, EMS, and District School officials responded to take all necessary precautions.

No students or teachers were harmed during the incident. The school was placed on lockdown while law enforcement conducted searches to exclude any further threats. This included searches by the Sheriff’s Office, SLED, and EOD bomb units.

Bluffton police acknowledged the assistance and teamwork of all the agencies that responded.